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Perhaps I am overly cautious, but from my experience in Mexico I would be very careful about doing routes in Mexico. The current climate of things with the drug lords at war with the government makes for pretty dangerous cycling territory.

I have lived in Mexico and much of my family still does. The Mexican people are generally a lovely and gracious bunch. But there are literally killers on the loose down there right now and a biker might be a tasty target. I would stick to the gringo side of the border, especially depending on where you would be along the border.

Nobody in their right mind should visit Juarez as a tourist. It is the deadliest city in North America. They average between 200 and 300 murders per month. Here is something I pulled from the news:

Since 2008, Juárez has been mired in one of the world's massive and brutal drug wars. About 4,000 people have been killed, including police officers, businessmen, lawyers, soldiers, government officials and innocent bystanders. The Mexican military has stepped in and taken control of the city police department and the prison.

Daily violence is a way of life in Juárez, as residents stay indoors at night and executions occur in the middle of the day on busy streets. This month, gunmen executed four men outside an elementary school while classes were in session. The same day, masked assailants shot and killed six patrons of a strip club, including a U.S. airman from New Mexico.

I met a couple - Sam and David - in Del Rio who nothing but good things to say about the border town opposite Del Rio. As most have said, avoid entering Mexico from El Paso. You might find, as you get closer that there are better places in which to enter, aside from Del Rio...

I agree that there are places that are less dangerous than others. I have family living in Puerto Vallarta and will take my kids there for spring break.

The border towns are a lot more dangerous, but not all of them. I have friends that live in Tecate and they feel they are quite safe and they frequently send missions teams down from our church. But you really have to do your homework to know where to avoid.

I found the quote "better alive than headless." an interesting comment. Trust me, you are missing very little, in the border towns and it truly is not safe. If you want to go to Mexico, go to Ixtapa, Cancun, or visit the Aztec or Mayan Ruins. Heed the warnings, for the little you will see, it's not worth the risk of ruining your trip. I am sure you won't be headless but who needs the hassle of possibly getting robbed, especially when you have such a nice trip ahead.

I know this post is a bit old, but recently the Department of Defense issued an order forbidding active duty U.S. military member from going to many border towns on the Mexico side across from Texas unless they have a family emergency. US State department dependents in that area are being encouraged to return to the U.S. side.

I brought up this issue of trouble along the Mexican border many months ago, but the answers I got on this forum tended to downplay what I was exposing and even denied it to some extent. Some posts acknowledged the troubles in Mexico. Now people are beginning to realize tens of thousands of people have been killed over a period of years in this drug war. It could be a bit risky.

I was cycling the ST between Van Horn and El Paso at night when two border patrol officers in a truck asked me to stop. I did. They warned me not to stop or leave the road or go anywhere with anyone should they beckon or call from the side of the road. Two people had been found murdered and robbed near there. Hundreds of women have been murdered in Juarez over a period of not so many years.On another border tour I was in Brownsville, TX. A new chief of police had been elected in a Mexican border town not far from Brownsville. The day after he was elected drug gang people shot him dead in the street. This sort of thing is going on constantly.